How Will he Recover?
by hfcmfan2013
Summary: Following the immediate aftermath of the episode "Revelations". Reid is free from Tobias Hankel...but is he really? How will he recover from such an ordeal? Will he let his team recover, or will he want to fight the battle by himself? *will not follow the episodes directly but references will be made*
1. Chapter 1

**Hey everyone! So this is my first story I'm putting out, any feedback or advice would be greatly appreciated. Writing this purely out of the love for the TV show Criminal Minds, I do not own any of the characters, all rights go to CBS. Enjoy, hope it's ok!**

Spencer Reid stands by himself, looking down at his captor who is now dead. Tobias Hankel, after having Reid hostage for two days, is dead. Reid is free from him…or so he wishes. In his back pocket holds the two small vials of Dilaudid, what would become Reid's escape, just as Tobias had used it for. All Reid wanted to do was forget about the alter egos of his captor: Charles, Tobias's father who inflicted all the pain and horror on him, and Raphael, the archangel. All he wants to do is forget, but with his eidetic memory it would never happen. He would always have the memories of the torture he endured for two days: the horrible smell of fish hearts and livers; the constant games of Russian Roulette and choosing who dies from Raphael; Charles Hankel calling Reid weak and pathetic; Tobias being sympathetic at the suffrage Reid was going through and trying to help him. No he would never forget, but the drugs would help.

So lost in the memories it's not until he starts shivering that Reid remembers where he is. He takes a step and almost falls over, forgetting for a brief moment about his sprained left ankle, which now throbs like it never had before. His energy is gone, used up in the one moment when he killed Tobias. In the time he was held he had barley gotten any food or water because Charles and Raphael were in control for most of his holding, they didn't think he was worthy enough to receive such goods. Right now, all Reid wanted to do was lay down and get warm; the shed he was held in held in no warmth, even with the fire going at all times. Just as Reid is about to fall to the ground from the pain and exhaustion a hand grabs his arm. Reid looks up and it's Derek Morgan, looking worried, scared and tired all at once. Reid couldn't be any happier seeing his team members, his friends, his family. He would never admit it to them, but Reid wasn't sure he would ever see them again.

"I got you, Pretty Boy", Morgan says. He puts Reid's arm around his neck while his puts one arm around Reid's abdomen, supporting most of Reid's weight. "Come on, let's get you out of here." Slowly they make their way to the cemetery parking lot where the rest of the team was waiting. Morgan can't believe how light he feels; Reid had always been skinny but he somehow seemed lighter now, if that was possible. He could feel his friend shaking and trembling in his arms, small moans of pain coming from him, and one look in his eyes showed how scared he still was, tears visible but being held back. Morgan couldn't be sure, but he thought Reid was trying to show all of them that he was fine, when he clearly wasn't. Morgan would talk with him later, right now he just wanted to get his little brother away from this place.

Back at the parking Hotch, Giedon, Emily and JJ waited from Reid and Morgan to get to the parking lot. When Reid had asked Giedon if he could have a second alone, they all backed away except for Morgan, who refused to leave him all alone. They knew Reid wanted his own chance to say goodbye, though none could figure out why, but they respected Reid enough to give him space. JJ still had tears in her eyes; she was relieved to have found her best friend alive, but still blamed herself for the whole ordeal he went through. Emily found herself comforting JJ while thy waited for their return. She couldn't imagine what JJ was thinking or feeling, but Emily knew that if they had lost Reid the team wouldn't have recovered. He was too special to everyone, including her even though she was still new to the team. He was irreplaceable, not just with his incredible mind but his welcoming and loving heart.

Hotch and Giedon just looked at each other, sharing the same thoughts without saying them out loud. Watching Reid being revived after he had died was something neither of them would ever be able to forget. They knew Reid was strong; they had seen him take on a delusional unsub on a train with a gun pointed at him, he killed a man in an emergency room filled with people without second thought. But this was entirely different; this time it was he who was going through the emotional, physical and psychological trauma. _Is he going to be ok?_ Was their unspoken thought.

Just as Hotch was about to speak he saw Morgan supporting Reid down the path out to the parking lot. Noticing Reid limping and shivering, Hotch opens up the back door of their SUV and grabs a blanket, signaling Morgan over to the car. As they approach Morgan shifts his arms around and, with help from Hotch, lifted Reid into the car so that his whole body facing outside, his right shoulder leaning against the soft seats of the car. Reid doesn't say anything as a warm blanket is placed over his shoulders; he stares straight at the ground, which worries Hotch. Being careful not to scare him anymore than he already is, Hotch touches Reid's cheek to see if he'll get a response.

Reid jumps slightly as he feels someone touch his cheek but sees it's only Hotch. "Reid, are you alright?" Hotch asks. Even he can see in his eyes how scared he still is, just as Morgan had. Reid shakes his head and says weakly, "I'm ok. Is there any water?" His throat is so dry it hurts to talk. Emily comes around with a cup of water and presses it to his lips. He drinks slowly, grateful for the cool sensation running down his throat. "Thank you," he says when it's all gone, and leans his head against the seat. All he wants to do is sleep, he's so tired. He's about to close his eyes when Hotch taps his cheek again. "Don't fall asleep yet. We're going to get you to the hospital but we need you to stay awake just a bit longer. I know you're tired, but just for a bit longer. Ok?" Reid nods his head that he understands, and wraps the blanket closer to his body. Hotch motions for his team to gather around the back of the car, away from Reid. They all follow.

"JJ. You, Emily and Morgan go back to the Hankel house and get Garcia. I want you all to go to the hotel and get some rest. Giedon and I will wait with Reid for the ambulance and follow it to the hospital. We'll call you when we get an update." He sees they're about to protest and interferes. "I know you all want to be there, but none of us have had a decent night's sleep since this all started and he's going to need us all to be strong to help him through this. He's been tortured and abused for the past two days, he may not want a crowd of people right when he wakes up. Even now he's still scared; he's going to need time and space."

No one objects to what Hotch says, even though they want to, because he's made a valid point. Reid will need time to recover. Morgan, Emily and JJ walk back over to where Reid sits, in the same position they left him in, saying a quick goodbye to their friend and they'd see him soon. JJ stays a bit longer than Emily or Morgan; she needs Spence to know something even if he won't remember it. She looks into his scared, clouded and tired eyes and touches his cheek with her hand. He reacts to the touch by looking at her, but she knows he's not really seeing her.

"I don't know if you understand or if you'll remember this, but I'm so sorry Spence. I never meant for this to happen. I'm always with you, and I will always be here for you. Always." She gives him a quick peck on the cheek and heads to the waiting car with Derek and Emily. Giedon and Hotch wave goodbye as the van takes off, move closer to Reid and wonder how he's going to make it through this.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey again! So here's the next chapter! Thank you all for the support and follows, it means a lot to me since this is my first story. It's nice being able to write and share stories about something you have in your head with others; not many of my friends watch Criminal Minds so I can never talk about this stuff.**

**I can't guarantee that I'll post something new every day, but I shall try my best. Right now I have more time than usual. If anyone has any ideas about what they want to see in this, or share any ideas with me please feel free to post about them. I will give credit where necessary. Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated as well. Thanks everyone! =)**

Hotch and Giedon walk back towards Reid after the van is out of sight, letting out a soft but long sigh. The stress of the last two days catches up to both profilers, but they know what they're feeling is nowhere compared to how Reid must feel. As they reach him, they can now see the extent of his injuries: a large cut and dried blood running down the left side of his head, bruises along his cheek where Charles had slapped him, and his swollen left ankle looking black and blue and painful. Giedon swears softly to himself; if Tobias wasn't already dead, he'd beat him for what he did. Hotch, however, stays more calm and tries to find a way to help their friend while waiting for the ambulance. He taps Reid's cheek softly once again to try and get his attention.

Reid looks up startled but calms down when he sees it's only Hotch. "Reid, I'm going to see if I can get some of this blood off of your face; it may sting if you have cuts hidden. Is there anything else I can get you?"

Reid thinks for a moment before he says in a raspy voice, "I'm still cold, is there another blanket? Is my bag with you guys? I could use some more water too."

"Your bag is right behind you, we brought it just in case. I'm going to get the water; I'll ask Giedon to see if the police have any spare blankets. We'll be right back, remember to stay awake. The ambulance will be here soon." With that said, Hotch and Giedon walk away, leaving Reid alone for the first time since he was rescued.

Giedon walks around to the lead detective and asks if he has any spare blankets for Reid. As he looks in the trunk of his patrol car he asks, "You think he's going to be ok?" Giedon replies, "Eventually" and starts back towards the car with the blanket the officer handed to him.

After Hotch and Giedon leave, Reid knows what he has to do before the ambulance comes or his bosses return. Slowly Reid turns his body to his left and sees his bag on the seat behind him. His hands still shaking he grabs it and places it on his lap, gasping slightly at the movement, not realizing how much pain his whole body is in. He then reaches into his back pocket for the vials and stares at them. He knows he shouldn't keep them; it could end his career and make his family hate him if they found out. He questions himself as to why he took them in the first place but he knows why he did. He carefully places the vials in his bag in a small pouch where he knows they'd be safe and where his team wouldn't find them. _I'll only use it when I need it,_ he reasoned. _The team can never know. _Seeing Giedon coming back with a blanket and Hotch with water and a cloth, he carefully places his bag on the floor, knowing his form of escape is safe.

Garcia waits for the team outside the Hankel household, wrapped in her fuzzy jacket and scarf. Morgan had called her ten minutes before and told her to be ready, they were on their way to pick her up; saying, however, nothing about Reid and what condition he was in. _"I'll tell you when we pick you up",_ is what he had told her and she agreed without arguing. She sat on the steps with her bags right beside her, ready to leave once they arrived. Placing her face in her hands, she rubs her tired eyes and sighs, holding back tears. It had been the most horrible two days, having to see the torture and abuse her junior g-man had gone through: the beatings, choosing who died and who lived, and then witnessing him dying and being brought back to life. Against her will, tears started to silently fall.

She hears the car coming up the road but doesn't have the strength to get up; like the rest of the team she hadn't slept the last two days. She hears doors opening, then closing and footsteps coming her way. Her bags are grabbed and strong arms lift her up and embrace her in a hug. She knows who it is right away: Morgan. After a moment she nods her had signaling she's ok and ready to go; they all start heading towards the car. Once in the car she notices who is with her: only Morgan, JJ and Emily. The car stays silent as they drive away, but after some time it becomes overbearing and Garcia basically screams, "Someone tell me how Spencer is please!"

The car stays silent for a few moments more before Morgan speaks up. "He's alive, Garcia. We found him…but he's in bad shape."

"How bad?" Garcia asks. She stares at Morgan, seeing the tension in his face; he didn't know how much to tell her even though they didn't know the full extent of his injuries.

"I'm not sure, baby girl. When I got to him he was weak. He's has the cut on his head, his ankle is in bad shape and he was really pale. He was shaking like a leaf when I got to him. He didn't say much; poor kid is still in shock. We won't know more until Hotch and Giedon call us with an update, we should be able to see him tomorrow."

Hearing Morgan say 'tomorrow' brought Garcia out of her daze when she notices that instead of pulling into the hospital, they were in the parking lot of their hotel. Staring at Morgan she screams, "What are we doing here?! We have to go to the hospital; Reid needs us! We don't need to be here, we have to be there!"

Morgan starts to say something but lets Emily talk instead. "Garcia, we thought the same thing, but Hotch told us to come back here. He's right; none of us have slept since Reid got taken and he's going to need us to be strong to help him get through this. We have to take care of ourselves first before we can help him. He'll be ok for tonight, he has Hotch and Giedon with him." Opening the front passenger door, she grabs Garcia by the hand. "Come on, let's get some rest."

Without protest Garcia starts walking with Emily at her side. It's not until Morgan is about to lock the car that he realizes JJ isn't with him. Opening the back passenger door he sees JJ staring straight ahead, tears being held back.

"JJ", he says placing a hand on her shoulder, getting her attention, "he's going to be ok."

"I know, I know", she says wiping her eyes. 'I just, um…can't help but blame myself for all of this. If we hadn't split up…" She tries to continue but instead starts sobbing uncontrollably. She covers her face, trying to stop, when she feels big arms engulf her. She turns her head and cries into Morgan's chest. How long they stay like that is unknown; eventually, they get out of the car and head into the hotel.

Normally they would go their separate ways into their own room…but not tonight. Morgan and JJ knock on Emily's door, knowing they would most likely have another sleepless night. They weren't going to separate until they heard from Giedon and Hotch. Emily lets them in and they make themselves comfortable. JJ and Garcia look at each other and start crying again, hugging each other for support. Emily sits by them and cries softly, saying every know and then that Reid would be ok. After some time they start to fall asleep; Garcia and Emily on the beds in the room, JJ taking her spot on the couch close to Morgan.

Morgan dims the light and looks at the girls in the room, all sleeping for the first time since Reid was taken. He tries to fall asleep, knowing he needs it just as much as the girls do, but his thoughts drift back to Reid: how weak he was, how scared he was, how broken he looked. He opens up his phone and stares at his home screen: a picture of him and Reid the day of his birthday. He's smiling and laughing, something that was never caught on camera; Morgan wonders if he'll ever be that happy again. Eventually Morgan sleeps, phone gripped in his hand waiting for the call.

Hotch and Giedon follow the ambulance in the direction of the hospital. Hotch had managed to clean most of the blood off Reid's face before the paramedics arrived, but he still looked bad. Reid had managed to walk towards the stretcher, helped greatly by Giedon and Hotch, when the ambulance had arrived. He was still shaking but not as bad as when they had first found him. Once on the stretcher Hotch told Reid that he was going to be ok and they'd see him soon, only getting a head nod in response. The car ride was silent until Hotch spoke up. "You think he's going to be ok?"

Giedon took his time answering, Hotch not liking his response: "I don't know."


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey everyone, here's the next chapter. Thank you all for the support, it's great and really encouraging. Special thanks to: ****Narmira 0.0**** for the great ideas for this story, and ****gobears ****for pointing out to me I was misspelling Gideon's name. I will continue to update as often as I can, but I start school again on Monday so I could become very busy again. I will keep updating. Again, thank you for the support; it really helps me to keep writing. I have another idea for a story that I will hopefully start working on soon, so keep checking. Enjoy!**

The paramedics tried to make their patient as comfortable as possible, a hard task as he wasn't talking to them. They knew what he had been through; his bosses and filled them in before they left the cemetery parking lot, but they did not expect him to be so eerily quiet. They had inserted an IV line in his hand to get fluids into his system and got some more blood off his face, but didn't want to do anything more until the hospital doctors took a look at him. One paramedic looked down and saw the clouded look in his eyes and tried to get a response from him. Taking the hand without the IV in, she says, "Dr. Reid, we're almost to the hospital now. You're doing great, just stay awake a bit longer until the doctors take a look at you. You'll be able to sleep soon." Getting no response, she places another blanket over him to keep him warm. Not long after that, the paramedics disembark from the rig as they reach the hospital. As the hospital staff took over, the young paramedic prayed for his recovery.

Reid could hear people talking to him, but he didn't have the strength to answer them; he was exhausted and only wanted to sleep. If it weren't for Hotch's and the paramedics orders, he would have fallen asleep a long time ago. His vision wasn't great; everything was slightly blurry and seemed too bright. Sound was also amplified; it sounded like everyone was shouting. He heard a nurse say they were wheeling him to get an MRI and x-rays before he'd be placed in his room for the night. As they were wheeling him away, he wondered where his team was. He wished they were with him; he was scared with so many unfamiliar people surrounding him. Reid had been aware of them saying good-bye to him back at the cemetery, but he remembered someone saying something else to him; however, it wouldn't come to the forefront of his mind. Trying to remember who had spoken to him and what they had said distracted him enough that the doctors and nurses had no problem getting done what they needed to quickly. The nurses wheeled Reid into his room while the doctor waited for the results. Reid lost the battle with his eyes; as they fluttered closed, he suddenly remembered what he had tried to remember earlier. The words calmed him as he finally fell asleep. '_I'm always with you…always."_

Hotch and Gideon waited in the waiting room, losing the battle with their eyelids, as they waited for news on Reid. They had arrived at the hospital right as the hospital personnel were bring Reid in; that was almost an hour ago and still no word. Each had had about three cups of coffee already, not saying much to each other. Hotch could only hope that the rest of his team were getting some sleep, while Gideon was only thinking of the shed Reid was held in. He had been shocked at the conditions in there: the small shack cold despite the fire going, the horrible smell of burning fish hearts and livers, the sight of the chair Reid had been locked to for two days. Just looking at the chair he could hear Reid crying, the slaps that came across his face, hear the gasps of air Reid took when he had been revived. Gideon felt a shake on his shoulder; he looked up to see Hotch watching a doctor come towards them.

"You must be here for Dr. Reid. I'm Doctor Stike. We got Dr. Reid all cleaned up. He has a minor concussion from where he was hit; he has some stitches in his head that will come out in a few weeks. The bruises on his face will heal with time; they should disappear within a few weeks as well. His ankle isn't broken or fractured; it's just badly bruised from a beating it took. We have it wrapped and it will hurt to walk on for a few days. Overall he will be fine; he'll make a full recovery."

Hearing this brought a sigh of relief from Hotch and Gideon, but worries still filled their minds. They knew Reid would heal physically; it was how he would heal emotionally and psychologically that worried them. Reid wouldn't get over what happened quickly. For now, they were just happy he was OK.

"Can we see him?" Gideon asked.

Doctor Stike replied, "You may, but we gave him a light sedative to help him fall asleep. He stayed awake through the whole process, but you could see how tired he is. I want to keep him here for now to keep an eye on him; make sure he doesn't have any problems from the concussion. If all goes well, he should be able to leave here later tomorrow afternoon. I'll take you to his room, but he may have fallen asleep already."

As they reached Reid's room they were happy to see he was sound asleep, looking better than he had when he was first found. Some color returned to his skin, he wasn't shivering anymore under the layers of blankets on him. The doctor announced she had to attend to other patients, and to call the nurses if he woke up or if they needed anything. Gideon walks over to Reid's bedside and grabs his hand, stroking his thumb over his hand, just staring at him. After two horrible days Reid was finally getting the rest he so desperately needed. Relaxing in the chair he was in, Gideon closed his eyes and fell asleep, his hand still holding Reid's. Hotch took out his phone, intending to call Morgan like he had promised with an update on Reid, but stopped when he saw the time. 12:58 AM. Hotch didn't want to wake them if they had fallen asleep, especially JJ, but still didn't want to worry them. Instead he sent a text to Morgan: _Reid is fine. He's sleeping for the time being. Call before you come._ The message sent, Hotch relaxed into the other chair in the room, leaned against the wall and let his eyes close for the first time in two days, relaxed for the time being.

Morgan woke with a start as a bright light hit his eyes. Rubbing the sleep out of them he tried to remember where he was and why. It wasn't until he looked around and saw Emily, Garcia and JJ sleeping did he remember they were in one of their hotel rooms. Taking a look at the clock on the nightstand, Morgan saw it was 8:15. Morgan didn't remember falling asleep; his last memory was of him worrying about Reid. Speaking of Reid, Morgan wondered why Hotch hadn't called him; they should have had word by now. He took a look at his phone and calmed as he found a missed text message. Reading it, he relaxed and tried to think of what to do next. He wanted the girls to get more sleep, so Morgan quietly slipped from the room to grab some coffee and doughnuts for when they woke up, knowing they'd need the quick energy boost. Walking back in he was glad that the girls were still sleeping, but walked over to JJ when he saw her fidgeting and mumbling in her sleep.

Tapping her shoulder and saying her name, Morgan managed to wake JJ up. She sat up and looked around dazed, just as he had. "It's ok, JJ. You're in the hotel room, you fell asleep. I grabbed coffee and doughnuts."

JJ quickly came to her senses and accepted the coffee Morgan handed her. After taking a sip, she asked, "Any word on Reid?"

"Hotch sent me a text earlier in the morning. He's going to be ok. His injuries will heal. He said we can come down when we're ready." Seeing JJ grabbing for her coat, Morgan grabbed her hand to stop her. "Now JJ we still need to take care of ourselves first. I want you to go back to your room, shower, and freshen up and once Garcia, Emily and I do that we'll go to the hospital. No exceptions," he added when he saw she was about to protest.

"OK, I'll go. I'm coming back over as soon as I'm done." JJ gets up from where she fell asleep and walked out the door, letting it slam shut, waking up Garcia and Emily.

After they both settle down from being woken up, Morgan explains everything over again and both start to get ready. Morgan then left to head to his room, Garcia staying with Emily since she didn't have her own room. Morgan sighed with relief when he got into his room, knowing his friend would be ok; he still couldn't shake the memories of how he looked from his head. After showering, he picked up his phone and dialed Hotch. He picked up after two rings.

"Hey, Hotch. How's he doing?" Morgan asked. He heard him yawn before he answered.

"Hey, Morgan. He's doing ok. He has a minor concussion, stitches in his head, brusing on his face and his ankle is wrapped; it's not broken or sprained, just bruised badly. He's been asleep since he got here. They gave him a sedative when he got in, but that should wear off soon. How are you guys doing, get any sleep?"

They talked for another ten minutes discussing when they'd be over. After hanging up, Morgan packed his clothes then went to Hotch's, Gideon's and Reid's room to collect their belongings. After that, he knocked on Emily's door, which opened right away. He looked in to see all the girls with their belongings at their feet, their faces saying they were ready to go. Without a word they all get up, leave the room, check out and walk back to the SUV, heading to the hospital to see their friend.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey everyone, sorry for the delay in posting this chapter; I have to admit this chapter was really hard to write, so I hope you guys like it. Thank you for the reviews, it's been amazing reading them! I'm changing some things up in this chapter, so it may not follow the aired episodes exactly but references will be made. I hope you all like the way I'm going with this so far, it's the way I see the gap happening but everyone has their own opinions so if you comment just please be nice and respect what I write and what other's say. We all do this for the love of the characters, not to start fights. Thank you all again, and enjoy!**

**Also I have another story I'm starting to write; the first chapter may be posted tonight. Thank you all again, your support is amazing and I love it! =)**

Gideon woke with a start, looking around as something tapped his shoulder. Looking up he sees Hotch over him with a coffee in his hands. Gideon takes it and takes big gulp, turning his attention back to Reid. Still sound asleep, looking better than he had when he first arrived; more color was back on his face and the dark bruises on his face were lighter in color, still there but looking a little less painful.

"When are the rest of them coming?" Gideon asked Hotch. Gideon knew nothing would keep them back from seeing Reid for long. "What time is it?"

Hotch looked at his watch. "Little after 9:30. They should be on their way soon. Gideon, the doctor needs to speak with us. Says it's important but needs to be done privately. She wants us to come to her office now."

Reluctantly Gideon got up from his seat, taking one last look at Reid's sleeping form before he and Hotch leave the rom. Just as they close the door they see JJ, Garcia, Emily and Morgan coming down the hall; Hotch and Gideon head towards them.

"How is he?" JJ asks, concern in her voice even though she knows Reid is fine.

"He's still asleep, but he's ok. You all head in there; the doctor needs to speak to us real quickly. We'll be right back," Hotch says. The girls' head towards Reid's room but Morgan stays behind.

"I'll come with you, guys. Think the girls' want some alone time." Giedon and Hotch don't object as they make their way towards the office. When they arrive, Hotch knocks lightly and they all enter when they hear a "come in" response.

"Good morning Doctor Stike. This is Agent Morgan, you didn't meet him earlier. He'd like to hear what you're about to say to us," Hotch says.

"Very well then; please take a seat," she says as she sits back in her chair. "The reason I called you all in is because of some news I have about Dr. Reid. We took some blood when he first arrived, usual hospital procedure for any patient, and we found a substance in him. It was in trace amounts, but what we found was Dilaudid. When we examined him, we also found three needle penetration marks on his right arm; he was injected with the drug at least that many times. I'm sorry for the delay in the news, but by the time toxicology reports came back it was 2am and I didn't have the heart to wake you; it looked like you hadn't slept in days. We've been monitoring him closely since this discovery and he seems to have no side effects as far as we can see."

Hotch, Gideon and Morgan can't believe this news. It was bad enough that Reid had been physically, emotionally and psychologically tortured, but with the knowledge of their friend also being drugged was too much. Morgan got up and started pacing, resisting the urge to hit the wall; Hotch was rubbing his face with his hands, eyes closed; Gideon just stared at the desk, not believing what they were hearing. Doctor Stike spoke again.

"It's too early to tell if he will have problems from being injected with the drug. Right now it's working its way out of his system. What the long-term side effects will be only time will tell. I feel he will make a full recovery with no side effects at all; support from all of you is what he needs the most." Getting up she says, "I'm sorry that I had to tell you this."

Gideon suddenly stands up and leaves the room, Morgan following close behind. Hotch gives the doctor an apologetic look and leaves as well, finding Gideon and Morgan down the hall. He approaches them slowly.

"The girls' can't know about this", Gideon whispers. "It'll kill them even more. We have to keep this among the three of us."

"Gideon, are you kidding me?! JJ, Emily and Garcia would flip if they found out we were hiding this from them. They have a right to know, they're part of this team too. I can't keep a secret like that from them," Morgan practically yells.

"He's right Jason," Hotch responds. "We can't keep this from them. We can't look out for him twenty-four, seven; besides, he may not want to talk to us if he decides to talk. A man tortured him; he could be more comfortable talking to JJ or Garcia. We can't hide it from them."

The whole time Hotch was talking Gideon was shaking his head. "If we tell them they will never leave him alone. He'll need time to process what's happened, and that won't happen if the girls' know. It stays between us for now!" With that said he storms off towards Reid's rom.

"Hotch, we can't keep this from them," Morgan argues.

"I know we can't, but for now let's let it be. He's going to need us. Just do as the doctor says, keep an eye on him. Theses next few days will be difficult."

As they start back towards Reid's room, Morgan asks, "Do you think he'll be alright?"

"I don't know," Hotch replies. They walk quietly all the way back to the room.

_He opens his eyes slowly; they feel like 50lb. dumbbells, making them difficult to open. His vision blurs when he manages to get his eyes fully open, and what he sees scares him but he's too weak to yell. He's seated in the same chair he was held in earlier, not sure how he had gotten there. Standing in front of him is Tobias, staring straight into his eyes, a dead stare into his soul. He wants to scream, but he can't seem to find his voice. _

_Tobias speaks, only it's not his voice. "They say you can see into men's minds. Choose which one dies; I'll let you choose one to live."_

_The scene changes and he now stares at the members of his team. 'How can I be asked this again?' he thinks. 'Didn't I already do this?' Not able to speak he shakes his head side to side, saying he won't do it._

_All of a sudden, he feels himself be thrown back and his head slams to the ground. His vision blurs violently and he's struggling for a breath. Just as he's about to lose consciousness he hears someone say, "That's the devil vacating your body."_

_The last thing he sees is a bright white light. Then nothing._


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey everyone here's the next chapter. Sorry it took so long, life got in the way. Hope you guys like it. Comments & suggestions are welcome and appreciated!**

The sensation of someone shaking his shoulder hard and yelling his name wakes Spencer up from his horrific nightmare. He sits up, breathing heavily, panic in his eyes as he takes stock of his surroundings. Slightly disoriented he looks around and fears he's back in that horrible cabin; Charles Hankel's voice still in his head, Reid still hearing what he had said to him. Slowly, as he closes his eyes and takes deep breaths, the setting changes and he hears more voices but none belonging to Charles or Tobias or Raphael. The sensation of a hand rubbing his back in soothing circles and someone speaking to him makes him come out of his nightmare and back to his current situation.

"Spence, can you hear me? It's JJ, you're safe now. They can't get you ever again. Please say something." Reid could hear the trembling sound in her voice; she was close to tears.

Taking another deep breath and looking towards the direction he heard her voice come from, he replies: "JJ." It's then he sees her clearly for the first time in days. Her blond hair still straight as ever, clothes pressed and ironed still making her look professional, but her face shows her true emotions. Her eyes showing fear, concern, worry, happiness, sorrow and love; yet she still has that smile on her face that he loves. Seeing that smile helps him escape all the pain he went through, the pain he was still feeling and he gives her a small smile back as he says in a stronger voice, "JJ, you're ok."

No longer able to hold back JJ engulfs Spence in a hug and holds him tightly. She feels him hesitate but only for a moment; he then squeezes her as tightly as he can and doesn't let go. It's then that JJ lets the tears she had been holding back since the night before, where she still worried about her best friend even after talking to Morgan. She, Emily and Garcia had walked into his room to see him thrashing around in his bed, in a full-blown nightmare. It had taken them a mere few minutes to get him to wake up, but for JJ it felt like a lifetime. When they had found him the night before, he was so out of it JJ didn't think he would even remember the tight embrace they made right after his rescue. Being able to hold him and feel him respond back and recognize her was a feeling she would never forget. She had her Spence back.

Clearing her throat she says, "I'm always with you Spence. Always, don't you ever forget that." She continues to hold him and rub circles on his back, calming not only Reid but herself as well. It's not until they hear the door open that they let go of each other. Turning around JJ sees they are now joined by Gideon. He makes his way over to Reid and JJ backs away slightly, giving him room.

"Hey Reid, how you feeling?" Gideon asks. He starts to run his hand through his hair, not paying attention to how damp it is. He could tell Reid had been in a nightmare; the scared look was still on his face, still visible in his eyes.

"I'm doing ok," Reid says softly, his throat feeling dry. Clearing his throat he asks no one in particular, "Is there any water?" Not even thirty seconds later a small cold cup of water is placed by his lips and he starts drinking greedily, only stopping when he starts to cough. When he stops he looks around and sees the whole team is with him now, letting out a small smile before his coughing fit started up again.

Gideon took over what JJ had done earlier: rubbing small circles on his back as he continued to cough. Finally he seemed to settle down and Gideon helped him lay back against the pillows. "You ok now?" he asks.

Spencer nods his head and says quietly, "Yea, sorry about that. Went down the wrong pipe I guess." He heard his friends laughing at something but he couldn't figure out what. "How bad off am I?" he asks, looking at Hotch. He knew his boss would tell him straight up, unlike his friends.

Sighing Hotch starts off, "Minor concussion, the gash on your head required stitches. Your ankle will be painful to walk on for a few days, but it's not broken or sprained. The bruises will clear with time. The doctor will be here soon, and if she thinks you can handle it you can fly home with us tonight." In that moment Hotch decided to play into Gideon's game and not tell Reid they knew he had also been drugged while he was held captive. It wouldn't do Reid and good, and he also didn't want the women to know at the moment. Now would not be a good time to tell them; Hotch would wait until they arrived home.

The door to his room opened and walked in who Reid assumed was his doctor since she was wearing the long white coat all doctors seemed to have. She looked at Reid and said, "Good to finally see you awake. I'm Doctor Stike; I've been looking after you since you arrived late last night. How are you feeling, Dr. Reid?"

Reid looks directly at the doctor and says, "I'm feeling alright. Slight headache and some pain in the ankle, but otherwise I feel fine."

Nodding her head she address his team. "Could you all give me some time with Spencer please? It'll just be a few minutes."

As everyone starts to walk out JJ stops by his bed and gives him a kiss on his forehead, making Reid smile. That's all JJ needed to see, it had been a long three days not seeing his smile. When she walks out and the door closes, Doctor Stike speaks.

"Follow the light for me, Dr. Reid." She's pleased that Reid has no problems following the light, indicating his minor concussion was already healing. "That's good Dr. Reid. I wanted to check that and there's something else we need to discuss before I allow your team back in. When you arrived we took some blood and we found traces of Dilaudid. We've been monitoring your condition and there seems to be no side effects occurring. I did, however, share this information with the three gentlemen that arewith you. I felt that they needed to know, so they could help if you feel you need it. Do you have any questions for me?"

"When can I go home? Can I leave with my team?" he asks. Though at the moment Reid wasn't sure he would want to fly with them, knowing Gideon, Hotch and Morgan would be watching him closely.

"If you feel ready I can get your discharge papers ready and you can be out of here in a few hours. That sound good?" When he shakes his head yes she pats him on his shoulder and gets up. "I'll get started on them and let your team back in. I want you to rest while you wait. I'll be back soon."

After she leaves Reid lets out the breath he had been holding. Morgan, Hotch and Gideon knew about him being drugged while being held. He never wanted them to know; it was bad enough they had to see him get beaten and killed and revived, they didn't need to know about the drugs. Reid wanted it; he could feel the craving for it coming up now that he was fully awake and the sedative out of his system. _You don't need them,_ a voice in his head spoke. _You have your team who can help you get back to the way you were; you don't need to go down that path. _Another voice, however, thought differently.

_Yea but they don't know the pain you went through. They may have witnessed it, but they didn't feel the skin-to-skin contact when he hit you. They don't share the same fears you had; they don't know the fear you felt not knowing if you had done enough to give them the clues to finding you. They'll say they know the feeling, but they don't. Not truly. You'll never be able to forget those fears on your own, but this can help._

Reid couldn't help but agree with the last voice; the team would truly never know the pain he went through. The nightmare he had before helped him realize that the memories would never go away. _I'll only use when I'm at home and in the hotel room on away cases. They can't know I'm struggling already, they'll see me as weak._ Reid stops his thoughts when Garcia, Emily and JJ walk back into his room. _They can never know, _he thinks to himself before he starts talking to them.

Morgan, Hotch and Gideon stand with Doctor Stike down the hallway, away from Reid's room. The women had gone back into his room when the doctor gave them the go ahead to. Doctor Stike said she needed to speak to them, the reason they were down the hall.

"I spoke with Dr. Reid. He seems to be healing from his concussion so I'm going to give him the all clear to fly home with you. I also told him that you three knew about the drugs. He didn't say anything about them; he only asked me when he could go home. I would keep an eye on him, these drugs tend to be addicting and could cause problems in the future. Don't overbear him but if he looks like he's using or struggling, get him help. Are we clear?" she asks the men standing around her. After they nod their heads she adds, "I'm working on his discharge papers now, he'll be able to leave by late afternoon. Make sure he gets plenty of rest the next couple of days."

She walks away and the three men give each other the same look. They would not let their young friend, their junior g-man, let this control his life. They would have his back when he needed help. Silently they walk back into Reid's room where the girls' were talking to him and stand around his bed. After some time Reid gets his discharge papers, changes into some comfortable clothes and shoes and is wheeled out of the hospital by Garcia and JJ. Reid was ready to go home.

On the jet ride home Reid's head laid in JJ's lap, the rest of his body spread out on the jet couch where he had been placed upon their arrival to the jet. A bag of ice had been placed on his ankle, soothing some of the pain away. His eyes were closed but he remained awake, afraid of what nightmares would come next. He was also needing a drug fix, but he knew he couldn't do it now. His ankle throbbed and hurt to walk on, making it impossible to get to the bathroom by himself. The doctor had given him crutches to use but his body was still too weak for him to be able to use them. He would just have to wait until he got home and then he could get his fix. The sensation of JJ's fingers running through his hair eventually helped him fall asleep, where a new nightmare awaited him.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey everyone, I'm so sorry about not posting in a long time! I've been really busy with school and reading some other really good fan fiction stories on here. Hope this chapter makes up for me not posting in a while. Enjoy, and please leave reviews and comments.**

_He hears gun shots sounding behind him, startling him and making him run like he never had before. Panic set in when he calls JJ's name and no response comes, then a blinding pain radiates from his head. Even more panic sets on when he sees it's Tobias facing him with a gun pointed at his head, the personalities between his father and him rotating; his vision is clear but he remains still, not moving, too terrified. He sees the butt of the gun coming down and doesn't react to it fast enough to move; it smacks against his already sore head and his vision goes black._

_The next thing he knows he's at the back of the cemetery, Charles in control of Tobias with a knife in his hand. "I'm gonna bury you alive. Give you time to think about what you've done." Reid looks down and sees he's down in a hole at least six feet deep, making it impossible for him to escape by himself. Before he can react he feels dirt coming from above him like rain, landing in his hair and on his clothes, stinging the cuts on his head. It's coming down so fast he can't scream at Tobias to stop, and soon he's having trouble breathing; the dirt now up to his mouth. Right before he passes out, he hears the words he never wants to hear again, but seems to never go away: "That's the devil vacating your body." Then his vision goes black and he feels nothing anymore._

Morgan looks over his shoulder, watching JJ stoke her hand through the hair of a sleeping Reid while talking softly to Garcia and Emily. He could still see the guilt on her face, still see the tear stains on her cheeks and knew she'd insist on staying with him when they returned home. He still found it unbelievable that they didn't know the final detail of Reid's horror in the shed; he felt it was only fair they know. He turned in his seat and faces Hotch and Gideon.

"How long are we going to keep this secret?" he asks. "It's only a matter of time before they find out; they're going to be mad we didn't tell them right away."

Hotch was going to speak but Gideon beat him to it. "Look at them Morgan. He's only been out of the hospital for a few hours and they're already hovering over him. If they knew they'd only baby him and he'd never have a moment to himself. We're doing this not only for them but for him as well. We're giving him time to process everything and then come to us."

Morgan was stunned with what Gideon just said. "You do remember we're talking about the man who wouldn't even tell us he was having nightmares; I had to tell you guys after I got it out of him. He's not going to come to us. He'll hide it and lie to us that he's ok. I'm not ok with him doing that. He needs us more than he ever has before."

Hotch gets his voice heard. "And we will be there for him, Morgan. I feel you're right; Reid won't outright say he needs help or will speak about it. When we get back, I want you to take him back to his apartment and stay with him. He can barely walk and it may be another day until he has the body strength to use the crutches. Just do what the doctor said and be there for him."

"You got it." With that Morgan got up to use the bathroom. Once he was out of hearing range, Gideon blew up on Hotch.

"Why send him? I can look after him; I'm the one that got him into the BAU in the first place. He trusts me. He'll be fine with me."

"I know Jason, I know he trusts you but I think Morgan will be able to get more out of him. Reid was able to tell him about his nightmares when he felt he couldn't tell us about them. I see how they interact in the bullpen and in the field; Morgan protects him like he's Reid's big brother and Reid looks up to him when he needs confidence. The kind of bond they have is one we don't have with him; that bond they have together can get Reid to open up to things he wouldn't want to tell us. Morgan won't let anything happen to him."

Gideon was about to speak when they hear whining and whimpering coming from the couch. They look over and see Reid tossing and turning, his face scrunched up; eyes shut tight, hands clutched into fists, panting like he can't catch his breath. JJ is shaking him and she, Emily and Garcia are trying to wake him up by calling his name, but it only seems to be making it worse. Hotch and Gideon start to walk over to try and wake him up, but at that moment Morgan comes out of the bathroom and sees Reid in a nightmare. He pushes Emily and Garcia out of the way and kneels in front of him.

"JJ run your hand through his hair again," Morgan instructs her. When she does he leans over Reid's ear and says, "Reid you need to calm down. You're safe now; you're on the jet with the whole team heading home. They can't hurt you anymore. You're not there anymore. I need you to calm down, you're safe." After saying this a few times Reid eventually calms down and falls back into a peaceful sleep, the team sighing in relief.

"How'd you know to do that my Chocolate Thunder?" asks Garcia, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"It's something my mom and sisters used to do when I had nightmares as a kid. They'd reassure me, tell me I'm ok then I'd just fall back asleep. Always worked. Thought it would for him too." Morgan got up off the ground and walked back to his seat, placing his headphones on and closing his eyes. The rest of the team calms down, doing the same as Morgan and catching up on some much needed sleep. Just before Hotch falls asleep he hears Gideon say to him, "You're right. Morgan is the best person for him."

All too soon everyone was waking up as they felt the jet land on the tarmac, signaling their return home. Morgan wakes up first and walks over to kneel in front of Reid, who still sleeps on JJ's lap. JJ is about to shake his shoulder when Morgan stops her, shaking his head. She lets him take the responsibility to wake up their traumatized friend.

Leaning over his ear once again he says, "Hey Reid, it's time to get up now. We're home, you're safe." Slowly he sees Reid's eyes start to open and when they do Morgan is happy to see that the blurriness that had been there earlier that day was now gone; however, he could still all too easily see the fear in them. "That's it Reid, come on, come back to us. Time to wake up. You're here with me, Garcia, JJ, Emily, Hotch and Gideon."

Hearing Morgan's comforting voice helps Reid slowly wake up. His eyes open, and after adjusting to the sudden brightness of the jet he sees he's with his team, safe just as Morgan had said. He eyes first lock onto Morgan, who remains kneeling right in front of him, then he looks around and sees Emily and Garcia behind him, Hotch and Gideon to his right and JJ to his left. He sighs with relief, realizing he was with his team and not back in the graveyard as his nightmares made him believe.

Morgan smiles when he sees Reid recognize where he is. "Hey there, welcome back. How you feeling Reid?"

Reid slowly sits up and leans against JJ's shoulder, shrugging slightly. "Ok, I guess. Tired and the ankle hurts a bit." He was only slightly lying. He was still tired and his ankle did hurt, but most of all he was feeling the cravings coming back full force. He felt himself start to shake but made himself stop, not wanting his teammates to worry more than they had the past few days.

Hotch looked over at his young profiler. "Reid, Morgan is going to take you home and stay with you until you can get around a little easier. I want you to relax and stay off that ankle until you can use the crutches. Don't worry about the paperwork or work for the next few days, I want you to focus on getting better. The rest of you, go back into the BAU and get your work done, then go home."

With that everyone went their own ways, saying a quick goodbye to Reid and reminding him they were there for him if he needed to talk. Reid only nodded his head, not really looking forward to having Morgan staying with him. JJ was the last to leave the jet other than Reid and Morgan.

Looking at him she says, "I know I've said it before, but I'm just reminding you I'm always here for you. Call me anytime." She gives him a quick peck on the cheek and leaves the jet.

Reid starts to get up when he feels a hand on his shoulder. "What do you think you're doing?" Morgan asks. "Hotch said to stay off the ankle and you're not strong enough yet to use the crutches."

Looking up at him Reid says, "Then how am I going to get off the jet?"

"Easy," Morgan says as he lifts Reid off the couch, carrying him bridal style, being careful to watch his injured ankle. He ignores and laughs at Reid's protests as they walk out off the jet and reach Morgan's car. Gently placing him in the passenger seat, Morgan gets in his seat and they drive off to Reid's apartment.

Back at the BAU the rest of the team were at their desks, finishing up on the paperwork from the case. While no one wanted to write up about it, making them re-live the nightmare they had just overcome, they knew it was necessary. JJ was having the most difficult time out of all of them, not being able to get past when she and Reid had split up. When a hand landed on her shoulder she nearly jumped out of her seat, calming down when she saw it was only Emily.

"He's gonna be ok, JJ. Morgan will look after him; he won't let anything happen to him," she says to calm her down. Emily knew she still felt guilty and would for a long time now.

Sighing and rubbing her eyes she says, "I know, I know. He's safe and back with us; that's all I could ask for."

"Let me help you with this," Emily says. JJ doesn't object and takes all the help and comfort their newest team member offers.

Meanwhile in Hotch's office, Hotch sits speaking with Gideon, coffees in hand. Even with Morgan watching over Reid they both still worried about his recovery. Yes, Reid had been in situations similar to this but never like this, in this bad of a situation. He had overcome those times before quickly but what he had just been through was nothing compared to this newest one.

"He'll be back soon," says Gideon looking at the floor. "He needs something to keep his mind occupied, he won't stay home long."

"I know he won't either, but I'm not letting him back for a week. That should give him enough time to get his strength back and his ankle to heal. He's not going to be the same Jason; he's scarred". Hotch hadn't missed the look in Reid's eyes, even after he had realized he was safe with the team.

"Then we'll deal with it. For now, let him rest. It's what he needs the most." Gideon gets up from his seat and walks over to his office.

Hotch had much respect for Gideon but he sometimes questioned his decisions. Sighing and rubbing his eyes he gets back to his desk and finishes his paperwork, looking forward to going home to his wife and son.

It had been a quiet ride back to Reid's apartment. He had fallen asleep, his head leaning against the window, his breathing easy and mellow. Morgan couldn't help but notice the slight twitching of his fingers and the way Reid's face would scrunch up every now and then. He didn't know if his friend was fighting off another nightmare, or if he was going through some type of withdrawal. For now he just focused on getting him back home in bed where he could get some much needed sleep.

When they reached the apartment, Morgan put the car in park and walked over to the passenger side. He didn't have the heart to wake him up, so Morgan carefully lifted him into the bridal style carry, grabbed his bag and walked into his apartment. Waiting on the elevator he still couldn't get over how light Reid felt. Morgan told himself once Reid woke up he'd make him anything he could before Garcia came over with sweets for her junior g-man. Once on the elevator and on Reid's floor, he took out his spare key to his apartment and opened the door, walking straight into Reid's bedroom. Taking off his shoes he gets his friend under the covers, making sure he was warm. Walking out quietly, he walks into the kitchen and makes an ice pack, placing it on his ankle when he returns. Making sure he was comfortable he walked out the door, leaving it slightly open in case Reid called for him. He took out his phone to call Hotch.

Reid woke up moments after Morgan placed him on the bed, staying quiet and waiting for him to leave. When he could no longer hear footsteps, his eyes looked for his bag. Noticing it on the chair beside his bed he quietly reached for it, taking out the two vials he had managed to hide from his teammates. Taking out a needle he managed to take from the hospital, he used his belt to tie off his arm and set the dose he had seen Tobias inject him with. He knew he shouldn't, especially with Morgan in his house, but he couldn't take the nightmares anymore. He injected the needle and pushed the contents into his body, making sure his arm was under the covers incase Morgan decided to check on him. He couldn't let his best friend take away his relief. He sighed as he felt his eyes close shut, the drug taking over, relieving him of the events that had haunting him for days.


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey everyone here's the next chapter. I'm really sorry for having so much time between chapter posts, I have so many school papers to write before the semester ends and they have to take priority. Along with this story and my other one, Saving Each Other, I'm also working on a One-Shot story from an episode in Season 7, so I hope to have that done soon. As always, thank you for the reviews and reads; they really mean a lot to me. Hope you guys like this chapter and where I'm going with it. Enjoy!**

Morgan walks down the hallway towards the small couch that's in Reid's apartment, pulling out his phone. Taking a quick look around Morgan smiles as he thinks to himself, _this place hasn't changed at all since I was last here. _The walls are a dark green color, curtains covering the windows letting no light in and making the place look darker, a small chess table in the corner by one of the windows, and piles and piles of books everywhere: on the many bookshelves he had in just the living room, on the coffee table sitting by the couch, on the floor, in the small kitchen Reid had and even on the couch. Picking up some of the books and placing them on the floor he dials Hotch's number, knowing his boss would want to know what he had witnessed in the car ride over.

It only takes one ring before he answers. "How's he doing?" Morgan can hear the concern plaguing his voice.

Sighing Morgan sits on the couch and leans back, his head resting on the back of the couch. "He seems to be doing ok. I carried him off the jet and he fell asleep on the ride here. He was still sleeping when I pulled up to his apartment so I carried him in and placed him in bed. I made an ice pack and placed it on his ankle; that thing looks even more painful than it did earlier."

"He didn't try and fight you carrying him off?" Hotch asks, surprised that Reid would allow that.

"I didn't really give him a choice. I could see it on his face he was in pain, he's just too stubborn to admit it." Taking a deep breath Morgan adds, "I did notice something on the way here though, and I think it's something we need to worry about."

"What's that?" Again Morgan could hear the worry in Hotch's voice. Morgan really didn't want to tell him, but he knew in order to get Reid to fully recover they had to be a pain in the butt.

"On the drive over here, I noticed his face was scrunched up, like he was in pain. He was also shaking slightly and I think I saw it happen on the jet too just before we got off. Now the pain I saw in his face could have been from the pain in his ankle, or even a nightmare, but the shaking I can't figure out. His fingers were twitching too, something I've never seen him do before. I'm worried."

Morgan hears Hotch sigh and allows him some time to soak in the information before he speaks again. The doctor back in Georgia had given Gideon, Hotch and Morgan pamphlets going over the usual symptoms of withdrawal to look out for. Both Hotch and Morgan knew shaking was one of the many signs of withdrawal, but neither thought they would start showing this soon.

"How does he look right now?" Hotch asks after a few moments. "Does he appear to be shaking at all, or have any other symptoms?"

"Hold on," Morgan says to Hotch as he gets up off the couch and heads back to Reid's room. Putting his phone on mute he slowly opens the door and walks quietly in towards the bed. He looks down at Reid and is happy to see his peacefully sound asleep, the tension in his face gone, looking more like the Reid he knew. He pulls the comforter up a little more so that it was just under his neck and runs his hand through Reid's hair for a moment, just looking at him. Moments later Morgan remembers he's on the phone with Hotch and quietly leaves the room. Taking his phone off mute he replies back his findings to Hotch, who seems just as happy as he is that Reid was finally getting the rest he deserved.

"Just keep an eye on him. Wake him up in a few hours if he isn't up by then. Want me to bring you guys something for dinner?" Hotch asks.

Morgan had walked into Reid's small kitchen and noticed multiple cans of soup and pasta. "No that's ok. I just found some stuff I can make for him and myself, we should be good for tonight. Do you want me to come in tomorrow?"

"That's not necessary; I can drop off some paperwork for you in the morning. Stay with him for now, I think that's where you're most useful right now. Call me when you get up and I'll stop by on my way into the office. Take care of him and yourself; I'll see you in the morning."

"Ok, see you then," Morgan says before he hangs up. Closing his phone he takes one more peek into Reid's room and finds him still peacefully asleep. He then heads back over to the couch and lays down, thinking about the past few days.

They had been some of the worst in his life; it was easy to say that. He wasn't sure why, but Morgan had always had a soft spot for Reid in his heart. He remembered Reid's first day at the BAU, walking in with Gideon by his side looking like an intern. He was dressed in clothes that Morgan hadn't seen since that late 80s and was surprised to learn Reid was the new member of the team they had been expecting. What really got Morgan to be protective was when he found other agents harassing him, calling him names and misplacing his personal items. There was one incident that was more memorable than any other

_*FLASHBACK*_

_Morgan had just stepped out of the elevator onto the BAU floor, yawning slightly. He and the team had come back late the previous night from a rather difficult case, but thanks to the information Reid was able to provide them they solved the case a lot faster than they normally would have. Morgan had never said it out loud to Reid or anyone else, but he was proud and very impressed with how Reid was doing on all the cases he'd been on so far. He still found him geeky and nerdy, usual turnoffs for Morgan, but for some reason he didn't mind Reid's rambles and random blurts of facts. _

_He did, however, notice that not everyone was. Nobody on their team had a problem with it; sure, they were still getting used to it but no one had a problem with it. It was when they were in the office Morgan noticed some of the looks Reid was getting from the others. If Reid noticed anything he didn't act upon the looks or seemed bothered by them, but he always kept an eye on him, making sure no one gave him a hard time._

_As Morgan walked in the office and towards the coffee he got a feeling something wasn't right. He looked around the office: Elle, Hotch and Gideon were all at their desks working, but Reid wasn't there. He saw the bag he always had with him on his desk but there was no sign of him. Walking over to Elle's desk he asks, "Have you seen Reid?"_

_She looks up from her paperwork and goes, "No, I haven't seen him since I got in. His stuff was already here when I arrived." She goes back to her paperwork without another word._

_Morgan walks away from her desk, the feeling of something being wrong more prominent. He checks the bathrooms and all along the 6__th__ floor of the BAU and finds nothing out of place and no Reid. He's about to go to Garcia's lair to see if she can find him when he hears a small cry from a closet just behind him. He stops walking and listens again, and cringes when he hears the cry again and realizes it's Reid. He tries to open the door but finds it locked. Making as little noise as possible he kicks down the door and is surprised to see what he finds._

_Reid is on his knees as one agent holds his arms behind his back and another agent is throwing punch after punch, kick after kick at Reid, hitting him in the face and stomach. Morgan recognizes the two other agents; they had been interviewed for the open position but lost to Reid and were placed on another unit. Without even thinking he tackles the agent hitting Reid and screams, "I NEED SOME HELP IN HERE!"He turns his attention to the agent still holding Reid's hand behind his back and says, "Don't you go anywhere. Let him go!" The agent does as he's told and Reid falls to the ground, curling himself up tight and coughing. Morgan handcuffs Reid's attacker and hands him to another agent and grabs the other agent tightly, handing him off to a security guard._

_Hotch walks in the room and heads towards Reid, as does Morgan. Morgan rubs Reid's back as Reid continues to cough and cry silently while Hotch gets Reid into a sitting position. It's now for the first time both of them can see his injuries: his left eye is black and swelling slowly, bruises along his face, a split lip. After a few moments Reid stops coughing, but Morgan and Hotch could hear it was painful for Reid to breath._

"_I'll go call paramedics," Hotch says. Morgan switches position so that way Reid is leaning against Morgan and Hotch leaves the room, giving them some privacy. _

"_Kid, what happened?" Morgan asks after a few moments. He wants to know the story before Hotch returns._

"_I was heading towards the bathroom," Reid begins slowly. He wasn't sure but it felt like he had some broken ribs. Pushing past the pain in his ribs and face he continues. "They called me saying they needed my opinion on some case they were having trouble with. I got close to the door and then they pushed me in, locking it. One grabbed my hands, holding them behind my back, and the other started punching me. I don't know why they did it." He starts crying again, unable to control the emotions._

_Morgan rocks him slightly, holding him close. "I got you, Pretty Boy. I got your back. Always will."_

_*END FLASHBACK*_

The agents had been fired and Reid spent some time at home recovering from a swollen and black eye and some very bruised ribs. Morgan had stopped by each morning and after he finished at work to check on him, even after Reid said it wasn't necessary. From that point on they had always had a close friendship, but with this most recent case Morgan couldn't help but think of his actions and his feelings.

Like everyone else they had been worried about his safety, but Morgan couldn't ignore the gut retching fear he felt when he told Emily it looked like someone had been dragged out of the cornfield when they had first arrived at the Hankle household. Then the horrible fear appeared again after seeing Reid on the computer screen, then again when he told Tobias to kill Hotch. He felt it most, however, when he blew up on JJ. He did partly blame her for what had happened but he would never tell her; he knew she was dealing with her own guilt and didn't need any more from anyone else. Why he felt this much anger, he wasn't sure why. He also wasn't sure why he had run his hand through Reid's hair while on the phone with Hotch; that was something he would never do.

Before he could think any further about his actions he felt his eyes start to close. He hadn't slept at all during the case or when they had been in the hospital. He had slept a little on the jet, but it was a restless sleep. Now finally being able to relax, he let his eyes close with one final thought before unconsciousness overtook him. _I'll always protect you, Pretty Boy._


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey everyone, I am so sorry for not updating this in so long. School is finally done so I have some more time to write. Updates won't be consistent because now I'm going to be crazy busy with work, but I shall update when I can. Enjoy, and thank you!**

JJ, Emily and Garcia ended up finishing their work at the same time and decided to grab a bite to eat together. It had been very quiet down in the bullpen with no Reid to spurt of facts and no Morgan complaining about how much he hated paperwork. Emily had been a great help to JJ, providing a source of comfort when she felt her emotions taking control while she wrote up her report. JJ felt better slightly but she would never fully forgive herself for what had happened. She knew Reid didn't blame her but she couldn't stop blaming herself.

The three ladies decided on a dinner not far away from FBI Headquarters. They sat at their table after being seated, looking at their menus and at the same time not really looking at them. They stayed quiet after their orders had been taken, none of them knowing what to say to each other after the ordeal they all just went through. This was the first time Garcia had ever worked on a case outside of her little cave, and would have enjoyed it more if it weren't for the reason she had to be there, having to find her team member. Emily was still new to the team but she had a soft spot for Reid, as did everyone else, but she couldn't help but notice something seemed off with him. Yes, he was just recently rescued from a horrible situation but back on the jet Emily thinks she saw something different about him. She just had a feeling but nothing solid to prove it. JJ still felt the unbearable guilt and was trying to get rid of it but failing miserably.

It wasn't until they got their food and started to eat that someone spoke. "So what do we do from here?" JJ asks, exhaustion evident in her voice.

"For now, we give him some space. He has Morgan with him; if he'll talk about it it'll be to Morgan," Emily says confidently as she picks at her fries.

"What makes you say that?" asks Garcia. "He's such a private person; he didn't even tell us about his mom until it became necessary for a case."

Taking a sip of her drink Emily thinks of the right way to word what she wants to say. "It's because of the way I see them interact with each other. Morgan may tease him to death but I've seen him shoot Reid some glances before. Reid hides some things with us but Morgan's been able to get information out of him from what I've heard. I'm not saying there's deeper feelings they share, because I'm not sure, but they care for each other in more than the co-worker way. It's that kind of bond that gets somebody talking."

"I hope you're right, Em," JJ says before the waiter places the bill on the table. All three ladies contribute some and then leave together but separating once they return to their own cars. JJ is the last to leave. She sits in her car and contemplates calling Morgan to see how Reid is doing, to see if they need anything. Instead, she calls the one person she knows Morgan would have checked in with.

Hotch was just about to leave for the day when his phone rings. He looks at the caller ID and is surprised as to who's calling him. He answers quickly saying, "Yes, JJ?"

JJ clears her throat before speaking. "Hey Hotch, I know we just got home a few hours ago but, um…I was wondering if you've heard anything from Morgan. Have you talked to him?"

Looking at his watch Hotch notices the time. "He called me a few hours ago, not long after we landed. He told me Reid was asleep and doing fine, and that he was going to make him dinner when he wakes up. He's doing fine, JJ."

JJ sighs with relief. "Ok, that's good news. Would it be bad if I called Morgan to see if I-"

Hotch cut her off before she could continue. "JJ right now he needs some time and space. He already doesn't like I'm having Morgan stay with him; visitors are the last thing he needs right now."

Closing her eyes and rubbing her forehead JJ says, "Ok, I understand Hotch. I'll leave them alone. But you'll keep us updated right, if you hear anything?"

"You know I will, JJ. Now go home and get some rest. I'll see you tomorrow morning." With that Hotch hangs up and walks towards Gideon's office. Having to lie to JJ about Reid's condition was one of the hardest things he had to ever do. He knew just like everyone else that JJ held a lot of guilt about what had happened and really did want JJ, Garcia and Emily to know the full extent of Reid's trauma. Yet at the same time, he kind of liked the secret; he liked not letting the girls know because of how much they would shelter and hinder Reid.

He stops at Gideon's open door and sees he hasn't moved since he left Hotch's office so many hours ago; he is simply staring into space. Thinking he may not want to talk Hotch starts to move away when Gideon speaks.

"It's the right thing to do." Gideon turns his head and stares at Hotch. "Not telling the girls. It's not something for us to tell them; it's Reid's choice."

Hotch still dislikes lying to his own team but for now he can't argue. "I'll do it for now…but I don't like it." He walks back into his office and grabs his briefcase, heading towards the elevators. Suddenly, going home felt much better than being at the BAU.

Reid wakes up gasping for breath, tangled up in his blankets and his ankle screaming in pain. Sitting up shakily he sees he's in his own room, lying on his own bed in his apartment. His room is slightly dark despite the lamp on his nightstand being on low; glancing at his clock he sees it's nearly 6pm. _How did I get in here?_ he wonders as he throws the blankets off himself. As he sits up his memory comes flooding back to him: being rescued, the hospital, the jet ride home, and when he was finally able to get another dose of welcome relief from the nightmares. He could remember all of this, yet he couldn't remember who got him back home from the jet.

Reid slips his belt off of his arm and ties it back around his thin waist and places the bottle of Dilaudid into the nightstand next to his bed along with the needle he had managed to hide safely before he had been submerged in the drug. He sits up bed and places his feet on the floor, slowly putting his weight onto them. His right foot is fine, but as Reid tires to place weight on his left he winches and gasps in pain. Instead of listening to his body and lying back down he pushes himself forward towards the bathroom to wash up. He makes it about five steps before he falls to the floor, screeching in pain.

"Reid?" he hears someone call from his living room and cringes when he hears Morgan's voice. Before he can even try getting up on his own his bedroom door opens and Morgan comes rushing in. "Reid, you alright?" he asks kneeling down.

"Yea, I'm fine," Reid says quickly. "I was just trying to get to the bathroom when I fell."

Morgan grabs Reid underneath his armpits and lifts him up, then quickly placing one of Reid's arms around his neck and one of his arms around Reid's abdomen. "Next time call for me, please. You really shouldn't be walking," he says as they make their way to the bathroom. Morgan gets him in, shutting the door to give his friend the privacy he deserves and waiting right by the door. When he hears Reid call for him, he opens the door and helps guide him back to his bed, Reid happily lying back down. It wasn't until doing the simple task of getting to the bathroom to realize how bad his ankle really was.

Morgan walks out of his room and comes back a few minutes later, a tray in his hands. He places the tray on Reid's lap and he's pleased with what he sees: a bowl of pasta with some sauce on the side, a slice of Texas French Toast, a bottle of water and some ibuprofen. Reid jumps slightly when he feels something cold being placed on his ankle but sighs with relief when the pain starts to diminish.

"Sorry, but it'll help the swelling and pain go down. I didn't know what you would want so I made what you had in the cabinets. If you want something else, maybe something a tad lighter, I can go get it. I wasn't sure what your stomach would be able to take so-"

Reid cuts him off by saying, "Morgan it's fine. I know I don't have much to eat here; I meant to go out after we got back. This is fine, I just don't know if I'll be able to eat it all."

"Hey, eat as much as you can. You need to get your strength back, Pretty Boy. If it's at all possible you seem even lighter than ever." He meant that to be a joke, but all of a sudden Morgan could really recall how light Reid had been while he carried him from his car to Reid's apartment. He watches Reid eat and is happy to see he's not shaking or showing any symptoms and can only hope that this process continues to be a smooth ride. Yet looking into Reid's face, especially his eyes, he could tell something was bothering his friend, besides the physical pain.

"Hey, Reid…how are you doing?" Morgan asks after some time has gone by. He was happy to see the kid had managed to eat the majority of the pasta and even nibbled on the toast, but he still knew something was bugging him.

Shrugging his shoulders Reid says, "Fine." Everyone on the team knew that when Reid replied with the word 'fine' he really wasn't, and would be pushed by someone on the team to talk until he did so. Morgan would have now but it was evident in his friend's voice and face that he was still exhausted, and decided not to push it.

"I heard you screaming earlier. Was it a nightmare?"

Nodding his head he looks down at his bed sheets. "It wasn't bad it just scared me."

"Hey," Morgan says, placing a few fingers onto his check so Reid was looking at him. "You know you can talk to me about anything that happened right? I'll always be here to listen if you need to talk."

Reid nods his head in understanding and Morgan can see Reid's eyes begin to droop shut. Taking the tray he says, "Lie back down and get some rest. If you need anything shout for me ok? I'm gonna be right in the living room for the night." He takes the tray and walks out softly; he turns to face Reid before he leaves his room, happy to see he easily fell asleep. Morgan knew something was going on with him, and he'd be damned if he wouldn't help his Pretty Boy.

**Question for you my readers: Would you like this to stay a Reid/Morgan friendship or have it go towards them going into a relationship? I have an idea where I want it to go but I'd love to hear different opinions. Thanks everyone!**


	9. Message for Readers

**NOT A CHAPTER!**

Hey everyone, sorry this is not a new chapter. Just wanted to tell you all that I'm going to re-write this from the very beginning. Reading through it I want to add some more details, make things clearer and others have been writing saying they can't stand the story because there are so many spelling errors. I'm going to leave this story up for now, but once I'm done with it the story will be finished, clear some confusion people have been writing about and hopefully have less spelling errors. It will also have a new title, which I think will be "Revelations Aftermath" or somewhere along those lines. Thank you all for understanding; I'm also going to be doing this for my other story "Saving Each Other". If you think of any other ideas for a title for the new version, please leave it in the comments; I'd love to hear them and credit will be given to whoever comes up with the title I choose.

Thanks again everyone, the support is appreciated!

- hfcmfan2013


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